SPOKANE, Wash. - Avista is extending a heartfelt thank you to customers for their patience during restoration efforts in the wake of the worst storm damage to its electric system since Ice Storm in 1996. Over a four-day period, Avista crews from throughout the region, along with contract crews, worked around-the-clock to restore power to nearly 40,000 customers who lost electricity.

Now that electricity has been restored to all its customers, Avista is getting a clearer picture of the extent of the devastation. Preliminary numbers show that more than 120 poles had to be replaced to rebuild the backbone of the transmission and distribution system after high winds toppled trees onto power lines and snapped power poles Wednesday afternoon. That’s a significant increase from the 60 poles that were initially identified immediately after the storm.

“I’m proud of the dedication and commitment of our employees who always rise to the challenge during any outage situation. Over the past several days they worked tirelessly on behalf of our customers. We’re also grateful for the assistance we received from the five contractors who provided additional manpower to help speed up our recovery and restoration efforts,” said Avista Utilities President Dennis Vermillion.

Beyond the electric crews who were on the front lines replacing poles, restringing wire and rebuilding the electric system, there were countless employees working behind the scenes providing support to those in the field:

Dispatchers worked around the clock to prioritize work and dispatch crews to areas of highest need. They managed more than 13,700 outage reports from customers that were rolled up into jobs and prioritized.

Because each outage situation was different, two-person “advance teams” went on location to assess damage and determine in advance what materials were needed for each job. This meant crews arrived onsite with the right equipment and materials, saving time and working efficiently.

Supply Chain and Warehouse employees worked around the clock to provide materials needed for repairs. Preliminary numbers show:

In Spokane alone, at least 86 wood distribution poles were replaced.

40 transmission poles were issued across Avista’s service territory.

Crews used more than 13,000 feet of conductor wire to replace downed power lines.

General Foremen and Operations Managers orchestrated how to allocate Avista and contract crews, redeploy resources as they completed work and made sure employees were taking rest periods to work safely.

It was difficult to find lodging for contract and out-of-town crews because two international conventions were underway and every hotel/motel room was booked within 60 miles of Spokane. At times, Avista used buses to shuttle crews back and forth from Spokane to Pullman to sleep.

External and Internal Communications kept the information flowing to customers, the media and employees, providing timely and relevant updates.

“It’s an incredible logistical challenge. As we begin to tally the numbers of people and amounts of material needed to make repairs and get power flowing back to our customers as quickly and safely as possible, one thing is clear -- it is a monumental achievement,” said Vice President of Energy Delivery Don Kopczynski.

“I heard that as electricity was restored to the last group of customers in the Inchelium area near Colville, neighbors stood in the street cheering,” added Kopczynski. “That kind of appreciation is why Avista’s employees work around the clock to keep the lights on for our customers.”

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) - A Bremerton man has pleaded guilty to the rape and killing of a 6-year-old girl and faces a minimum 40-year sentence. The Kitsap Sun reports that 21-year-old Gabriel Gaeta pleaded guilty Friday in Kitsap County Superior Court to first-degree murder and first-degree rape in the 2014 death of 6-year-old Jenise Wright. Authorities arrested Gaeta in August 2014 but in February 2017 he was found incompetent to stand trial. He was medicated at Western State ...

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. (AP) - A Bremerton man has pleaded guilty to the rape and killing of a 6-year-old girl and faces a minimum 40-year sentence. The Kitsap Sun reports that 21-year-old Gabriel Gaeta pleaded guilty Friday in Kitsap County Superior Court to first-degree murder and first-degree rape in the 2014 death of 6-year-old Jenise Wright. Authorities arrested Gaeta in August 2014 but in February 2017 he was found incompetent to stand trial. He was medicated at Western State ...

SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) - A former University of Washington student who killed his girlfriend in what authorities describe as a drug-fueled rage has been sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison. Twenty-three-year-old Casey S. Henderson received the sentence Friday in King County Superior Court for the 2016 killing of 22-year-old Katy Straalsund. Henderson in January pleaded guilty to second-degree murder domestic violence. Straalsund was also a student at the

SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) - A former University of Washington student who killed his girlfriend in what authorities describe as a drug-fueled rage has been sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison. Twenty-three-year-old Casey S. Henderson received the sentence Friday in King County Superior Court for the 2016 killing of 22-year-old Katy Straalsund. Henderson in January pleaded guilty to second-degree murder domestic violence. Straalsund was also a student at the

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indianapolis police say a mother is accused of feeding her child a toxic homemade concoction in an attempt to "cure" the child's autism. FOX 59 reports that the woman's husband claims his wife put drops of hydrochloric acid and a water purifying solution containing chlorine into their child's beverage. The woman reportedly referred to the mixture as a "miracle mineral solution" and said she found the recipe on a Facebook group page.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indianapolis police say a mother is accused of feeding her child a toxic homemade concoction in an attempt to "cure" the child's autism. FOX 59 reports that the woman's husband claims his wife put drops of hydrochloric acid and a water purifying solution containing chlorine into their child's beverage. The woman reportedly referred to the mixture as a "miracle mineral solution" and said she found the recipe on a Facebook group page.

As of Friday, the CDC reports that 84 children in the U.S. have died from in the flu this season. In a news conference Thursday, the CDC said that of those who died, three-fourths of them did not receive the flu vaccine. Health officials said that roughly one in every 13 visits to the doctor last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu. The flu is currently widespread across 47 states except for Oregon, which is reporting local flu activity.&nb...More >>

As of Friday, the CDC reports that 84 children in the U.S. have died from in the flu this season. In a news conference Thursday, the CDC said that of those who died, three-fourths of them did not receive the flu vaccine. Health officials said that roughly one in every 13 visits to the doctor last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu. The flu is currently widespread across 47 states except for Oregon, which is reporting local flu activity.&nb...More >>

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis day care owner has pleaded guilty to trying to kill a toddler in her home. Forty-three-year-old Nataliia Karia entered the plea to attempted murder and third-degree assault. She also pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular operation of a vehicle for hitting a pedestrian, a bicyclist and another driver as she fled from her home in a minivan.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis day care owner has pleaded guilty to trying to kill a toddler in her home. Forty-three-year-old Nataliia Karia entered the plea to attempted murder and third-degree assault. She also pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular operation of a vehicle for hitting a pedestrian, a bicyclist and another driver as she fled from her home in a minivan.

FORT MEAD, Md. (AP) - A passenger in a vehicle that was fired upon outside the National Security Agency campus says the unlicensed teen driver made a wrong turn, panicked and hit the gas. Passenger Javonte Alhajie Brown told The Washington Post Friday that the 17-year-old was following GPS directions to a friend's house in Maryland, but he turned onto a restricted-access road that leads to the installation at Fort Meade.

FORT MEAD, Md. (AP) - A passenger in a vehicle that was fired upon outside the National Security Agency campus says the unlicensed teen driver made a wrong turn, panicked and hit the gas. Passenger Javonte Alhajie Brown told The Washington Post Friday that the 17-year-old was following GPS directions to a friend's house in Maryland, but he turned onto a restricted-access road that leads to the installation at Fort Meade.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Diana Reinholt's had her entire life in her van. She was also living in it after being evicted from her home earlier this month. Inside the stolen van are her father's ashes and pictures of her family. "I just broke down. I just immediately started crying," said Diana.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Diana Reinholt's had her entire life in her van. She was also living in it after being evicted from her home earlier this month. Inside the stolen van are her father's ashes and pictures of her family. "I just broke down. I just immediately started crying," said Diana.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Spokane Police are investigating three purse snatching incidents that happened Saturday afternoon around the city. In all three incidents a silver Pontiac G6 drove up next to a victim as she was walking and an occupant grabs their purse from the car. Police say in all three incidents there was a physical struggle between the women and the purse snatcher.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Spokane Police are investigating three purse snatching incidents that happened Saturday afternoon around the city. In all three incidents a silver Pontiac G6 drove up next to a victim as she was walking and an occupant grabs their purse from the car. Police say in all three incidents there was a physical struggle between the women and the purse snatcher.

WELLINGTON, Fla. - A Florida woman was arrested Thursday after deputies said she drove intoxicated with a child sitting above an open case of beer tucked in the back seat. The Palm Beach Post reports that a deputy pulled over 30-year-old Stephanie Roque of Miami about 11 a.m. after she made a complete stop in her SUV in the center of a lane. The deputy said that Roque’s drivers license was suspended, and noticed she had a strong smell of alcohol coming from her car.

WELLINGTON, Fla. - A Florida woman was arrested Thursday after deputies said she drove intoxicated with a child sitting above an open case of beer tucked in the back seat. The Palm Beach Post reports that a deputy pulled over 30-year-old Stephanie Roque of Miami about 11 a.m. after she made a complete stop in her SUV in the center of a lane. The deputy said that Roque’s drivers license was suspended, and noticed she had a strong smell of alcohol coming from her car.